SINGAPORE: In a rather ‘unexpected’ gastronomic adventure, a woman found herself face to face with an ‘uninvited guest’ when a cockroach showed up in her duck rice at Bukit Timah Market Food Centre.
She ordered some duck rice, and while enjoying her food, her stomach turned at the sight of a cockroach on her plate.
Ms Sia Wei Kiat told her story on the Facebook forum Complaint Singapore, saying, “I was having my lunch at Bukit Timah Market & Food Centre. Ordered duck rice from Seah Family Braised Duck Rice store at unit #02-129. After eating halfway through, I found a cockroach in my food”.
She decided to talk to the store owner, but they didn’t believe her and said they’d been doing this for 30 years.
She was shocked at their response, saying, “I was utterly shocked and complained to the store owner, but they refute my claims giving the excuse that they are in this business for 30 years already. Having been in the business for so long is no excuse for being unhygenic!”
People who read her story on the internet also got upset and said she should report her experience to NEA and send them her proof, or the same thing will happen again.
Another commenter pointed out that the food stall has a bad reputation and was rude, which is why its competitor has more customers.
Some speculated that if the food stall owners had offered a sincere apology, this post might not have emerged in the first place.
One commenter also advised her to directly approach the National Environment Agency (NEA) or Singapore Food Agency (SFA) to report the incident.
One was just utterly disappointed, saying the food was not worth serving at all.
In the end, this incident reminds everyone how important it is to keep food clean and safe. People are coming together to say that hygiene matters a lot. Let’s hope this leads to better care in all food places.